WINTER LIGHTEN'S UP FOR A NIGHT RIDE

The COMOtion senior citizen committee broke out the miner's lights Wednesday and made a run up Green Mountain. Gary Peterson and I were actually the only riders to show up. The other guys are full of talk until it's time to hit the trail head and do some PM climbing. They start talking union trash and drinking beer and never seem to shed the suspenders for Spandex.

It was a pleasant 48 degrees with no wind Wednesday and it made for a perfect start to February's ride-when-you-can season. Jackets and leg warmers were required but as always, too much clothes climbing...not enough on the downward fly.

The trails were dry over 90% of the park and I was actually eating dust on the north side descents behind Gary's LARGE ASRc.

Trying to make Wednesdays our regular weekly night ride weather permitting. Come join us.

NFL PLAYOFFS GRAB TRAINING TIME

ALL I GOT WAS A DAMN CARROT..........

So P.O.ed at Vikings. Not Farve. He played great. Promise to make up for the lost training time during the next week. Snack food dominated the day's diet. January training going OK, averaging 6 hours per week and a mis-proportioned 143 pounds. Aerobic base stuff on the trainer and 3x25 weight work except for the chronic right shoulder annoyance . One more steroid injection and then we'll look to the knife. We'll see what doc says in early Feb.

DRY CREEK NOT COMPLETELY DRY.......

STANDLEY LAKE IN WINTERTIME

The first ride of Twenty Ten was a real thriller not knowing what was around the corner in a very familiar training route. Dry Creek Trail runs from I25 through Westminster, Broomfield, Arvada, around Standley Lake (with a little imagination) and back.

This trail is popular with the Black Lab runner crowd but was better suited for Siberian Husky sled crews this Saturday. Weeks of -32 degree weather and a foot of snow left the urban trail in a barely passable condition is some stretches.

Common sporadic higher temperature days in the 50's started the melt presenting a variety of riding conditions including fast steady sections of frozen ice/snow pack, rut producing melting slush cranks and fast dry pavement portions always South facing.

All was going well until I attacked a gummy 1/4 mile of doubletrack below the dam. The YETI ARCx stopped fully when Play Dough consistency muck froze the fore and aft wheels. Sage brush sticks save the day providing poking and scraping utensils. Fifteen minutes later I'm looking over the vacant waterway. Return trip will be off trail (sorry tree-huggers) using available grass for traction. Made a valiant charge up out of the weir road shortcut until traction broke and I collected the first elbow mud of the day.

Garmin stats left us with 29.6 miles, 2 hours and 36 minutes and an average speed if 11 mph. Usually I'm on the 16-21 mph pace for this ride. Mud and snow on this day made the route feel like a constant 8% grade. Great ride ended with a flat and being locked out of the house..... cold, bonked and dripping wet.

Gotta love Colorado winter riding!!!!

2010 EVENT PLANNING BEGINS...

HA!!!
Got under the wire and am registered for the 2010 Triple Bypass. The ride sold out 3,500 places in less than 45 minutes on-line. Scalpers and wanna "B" riders are already showing up on Craig's List.
Missed out last year but am looking forward to the 120 mile ride from Evergreen to Beaver Creek with 10,000 ft. + elevation gain.

Won't know about the Leadville 100 until February 8th and Firecracker 50 registration not yet open.

"MOTIVATION IS HIGHEST WHEN THE SUCCESS RATE IS 50%"

some smart sucker from my past........

HAPPY FRIGG'N NEW YEAR

Spent most of the New Year's weekend Pimp'n out the Silverado...Side nerf bars for little people and weiner dogs.
Double walled stainless steel exhaust tip serves no real purpose. Bowtie mud flaps to cut down on snow crap deposited on the no purpose stainless steel exhaust tip.Final touches are the custom chrome YETI and COMOtion sticker for the rear cab window. Give me a mailing address and I'll send you a couple of the COMotion cool stickers.

Winter Time Project Priorities...You can help...

Break out instruction manual and mini pump for exercise ball..... Rebuild 3 Rp23s

Sort out 30+ jerseys for summer yard sale...naaw..

Replace air freshener cause I share the basement with 2 wiener dogs.....
Change out the Simple Green in the parts washer because I think some of the GREEN is not so simple.

Re-fill flask with Mr. Weller's finest..Christmas gift hint.....

Start at the beginning. 3.5mm, 4mm,5mm,5.5mm,6mm,7mm,8mm,9mm,10mm..Sharpies are for black wheel ding makeup. E-Tape for everything else.

Oh, yea NEW ASRc to reconstruct before the 2010 XC season.

Covidien buddy John Twa donated a twin SID providing parts for my ultra light ARC fork resuscitation. Should do that this year. Winter Park Hillclimb is just around the corner.4 pairs of Cranky Bros. to rebuild.
Sherman big bike fork to re-seal before the spring Moab assault.HOW ABOUT IT, WHAT SHOULD I START FIRST... I'M LEANING TOWARDS THE FLASK REFILL !!!!!

OUT OF RETIREMENT ALREADY-THINKING ABOUT 2010

After a month off and acting like I don't care, the local Cyclocross scene has me semi-motivated about actually getting off my duff and returning to competition.

Attending the 2009 Blue Sky Xilinx CX in neighboring Longmont was a methadone treatment into the addictive world of cycling competition.

Sugar and I just hung out with COMO buddies and fellow workers to enjoy the great Colorado outdoor recovery from a recent snow storm. Sun and mud were plentiful for a perfect Halloween Saturday in Colorado.

My personal pick for the win was Georgia Gould who took the Silver in Longmont

Women's Results:
1. Katherine Compton Planet Bike
2. Georgia Gould Luna Chix
3. Alison Dunlap Luna Chix
4. Meredith Miller Cal Giant Strawberry
5. Kelli Emmett Giant Bicycles
6. Amy Dombroski Webcor Builders
7. Heather Irmiger Subaru/gary Fisher
8. Barbara Howe Vanderkitten
9. Alison Powers Team Fuji
10. Lisa Matlock Strong Natural Grocers P/b

CT managed a respectable finish and spent 45 minutes waiting to power wash the muck from the drivetrain of his Yeti CX steed.

Oliver went silently by barely recognizable with the "red beard" removed. Something about getting married the week before. I don't get it.

Motivation had me riding the Yeti CX from B'field to the Boulder Cup race Sunday at the Boulder Reservoir. The 45 mile, 2K foot elevation gain road ride was not hard but I'll need to catch up over the winter months and pay for the Whoppers and fries.

Yeah, that's the ticket-snow mud and sunshine.

Still In De-Training Mode

Wedding done.
Since the season ended I've riden the Yeti CX 25 miles on the Dry Creek trail and one clumsy climb up Mt. Falcon. Studying what to do next while the weight piles on..Any suggestions? Just don't say Cros racing..

Final Weekend Split Between Friends and Team

The middle week of September was split between long-time friends Martha Spaulding and Dr. Paul Fournier and the 2009 COMOtion Sports team both celebrating monumental events. Friday's get-out-of-town scramble took us to the tunnel, then a hard right at Silverthorn up to Kremling and on to Steamboat Springs after ascending Rabbit Ears Pass. We were there for Paul and Martha's wedding atop the Steamboat Springs Ski Resort. An awesome event highlighted by a high altitude sunsetthat got more spectacular by the minute as we watched the evening retire over the golden Yampa River Valley. We were 10,568 feet above sea level.

After an evening of dancing with my bride of 36 years and a couple or six adult beverages later, we enjoyed the final weekend at a Colorado ski resort without having to switch number plates, lube chains or calculate glucose levels, warm up or start times. NICE!!!!

Sunday noonish we headed south to Breckenridge to celebrate with the team who made the 7th consecutive Mountain States Cup Series championship a reality.The series awards came late but as predicted, I managed to survive for a silver medallion second place in the Cat 2 50+ men's division. Elephant Rock century and Copper Triangle plus sixteen races including the Super "D" series is a long and (+$) summer sport.

The Team laid cool as ever passing time before the final series announcements with an impromptu Nerf football game under the stage.
After category awards, we took our rightful place center stage announcing once again that we were the most organized, talented and serious team in the series. Credit to the freshmen for carrying the alumni through- Margie, Evie, Cary, Holly and Ryan spot lighted the podiums and kept even the oldest of the group enthused about the year's outcome. Thanks guys, proud to call you teammates.

2009 Mountain States Cup Series ChampionsLANCE DID NOT DO 8

Sol Survivor Now Understood

Teammate Cary Dunn and I enjoyed the reasonable way to ascend Sol Vista's climb..................................
The next to last stop on the 2009 Mountain States Cup Series ( http://www.racemsc.com/ ) was held at Sol Vista Ski Resort and titled "Sol Survivor. I'm not sure if I was the only one, but survivor describes the 3 day stay accurately.
Having broken every training, diet and race preparation rule this year I should not have been surprised that my performance sucked. I've been run down now for the last 2 months evident with high blood glucose readings, respiratory infections, constant sinus drainage and multiple fever blisters.
Enough excuses.

I wanted to cement a podium for the series final in Breckenridge next weekend without having to endure the 3 -event stage race final.

Mission accomplished!!
Adding 344 points for the series through the XC and STXC gruel, I'm in for a second place finish in the Cat 2, 50+ series. My apologies to cheering COMotion Sports teammates embarrassed by my double-lapped short track run during the 30 + youngsters race.

The XC course included never ending climbs and the most technical descents ever encountered in 7 years of XC racing. Riders attempted to stay clipped but somewhere between the first drop and the pass beside the EMT hammock, you died. If you made that descent...your eyes were closed and you smoke dope. The terrain mimicked a badly cleaned, 15 degree fireplace pit that was littered with baby heads, momma heads, daddy heads and dinosaur heads. Add on that airborne dust eliminated any visibility. The same section was used in the Super Downhill and qualified for the pure Downhill route. The emergency vehicles streaming past our resort room all weekend was a reminder of just how tough the conditions were at the Sol Survivor.

Monday's Super D race was as always, a fun ride. Knowing what was in store from the XC drop, I was sure to purposely line up in the second squadron and I just grabbed the ASX by the horns and tried to ride the 41 pound bucking bronc to the bottom. The over 50 trio of me, Woody and Frenchie have had fun all season long and politely assembled at the rear, grinned and grunted downward. I elected to toss the Yeti down the drop and slide on my butt until we were reunited at the bottom.

Sol Vista hosted the team's annual feed and sponsor appreciation event. Thanks to Felix, Marcy and crew for rustling up the grub for stinky and hungry COMotion racers and friends.

To get an idea of a typical SV DH run, check out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bo1LIAUpKwk&feature=relatedt

COPPER CUP COULD HAVE BEEN WORSE....

Last place in the XC, next to last in the Super D and a two in a row DNF in the Short Track left me wishing this season was over. In reality, it all but cemented a second place attendance award for the 2009 Mountain States Cup XC Endurance Series with the +144 points awarded for 7th.

Youngster teammate Carry Dunn performed the hat trick this weekend winning all three events but may have pushing me off the podium in the 30+ Super D series.... All good!!!

The second ever DNF was caused by an over enthusiastic team member who pushed me faster than the tiny little 1.95 Kenda tires have ever gone on the ARC hardtail. The push was so violent that the jolt caused the tire bead to spin off the rim exposing the under-inflated road tube to the jagged rocks on the downhill section. My neck has also been stiff stince the incident.

Next week we wrap it up at Sol Vista with a laid back holiday weekend racing all three disciplines celebrating the 7th COMOtion Sports Team win with the wieners in attendance and the BBQ and beer a priority.

Yeti Tribe Meet-Wales 2009

COMotion teammate Chris Taylor and I took the plunge unsupported and represented the US at the 2009 Yetifan Gathering in Wales. Having attended all 8 US Yeti Tribe Meetings, I decided this year to go across the pond and attending one of the similar events there coordinated by Great Britain resident and http://www.yetifan.com/ creator Andrew. The 2009 event was held in Glyncorrwg, Wales.

Through the website forums, we got to know several of the Yeti devoted and arranged some assistance from tribe members there. Comotion team mate Chris Taylor has roots in the country and agreed to come along and share his left-sided driving skills.

Hosting us through the weekend were Fred and Melisa who treated us like rock stars and filled in the blanks when we were clueless. Fred designed a killer jersey to commemorate the meeting and is an avid mountain biker, rock climber, rugby player and golfer.

The organized rides began at the awesome Glyncorrwg ride center where many of the 35 meeting attendees were camping. Saturday's venture lasted a full 5 hours and had plenty of climbing and obstacles on the perpetually wet mountainside trails above the center. Sunday's ride was a shorter but at a quicker pace with fewer riders. They wore this old man out.

The riding might be compared to North Shore, or Northeastern US riding since rain was an everyday occurance. We were lucky and managed to get almost all the riding we could stand without be caught in any major rains storms.

The challenges of keeping drivetrains and bearing parts from rusting up is something we never worry about in 12% humidity Colorado. I dropped one very orange -nickle plated SRAM chain in the trash can after returning to the states.

I'll just let the photos speak for themselves and encourage anyone interested in more details to give me a shout.


A special thanks to all who helped put on the event and especially Fred and Melisa. We hope to repay the favor during a trip to ride Colorado's mountains.

STILES !!!!

More photos are on http://www.yetifan.com/ and CT's photo site at http://www.mtcolorado.com/raceday/thumbnails.php?album=43

DNFed

After 7 years of racing without a single mechanical failure, and DNF, Snowmass 2009 was the one. The same race 2 years ago forced an 8 mile bike push to finish but this was a plain ole DNF. Climbing out of the sawtoothed singletrack on the first lap, I found myself in a way too big front chainring and instead of calming down and downshifting, I stood up on the pedals and "CLINK" broke a power link barely missing the nut rupture associated with no-chaindrive-syndrome (NCS).

Confidence has been so high this year with the top level Yeti, Shimano and Continental trail-ware, I abandoned tools, spare parts and inflators altogether for the 2 hour ride. Gambled and lost.

There was little sympathy from team members as I whined about my mis-fortune and complete stupidity for not carying a single 2 oz. power-link.

Snake-eyes....you lose.

Highlight of the weekend was seeing the man..Lance Armstrong in the flesh and sweating like the rest of us. Turns out he looks like every other skinny racer on the start line but early on in the contest, he proved there was little competition for the Texan now sporting the Colorado State Championship jersey.

While I was licking my wounds at the top of the Short/Long lap divide, Lance came by me on his second lap through a choppy technical section and basically flew over the trail debris, across the service road and on to the lower section in a smooth flow making it look easy.

But he had a chain.

Just another day at work for L A.

Following day's Super D was a little better considering I finished without a mechanical, gained 1 spot in the series competition and beat Frenchie because he crashed. I did not break any bones or loose any flesh. I also did not suffered a position loss in the MSC Series XC competition since the locals beat everyone up.

Maybe I'm a lucky guy after all.

Thanks to Papa Taylor for the cool Snowmass photos.

Non-Stop August Starts With Copper Triangle Ride

August will be the month we did not stay home and pull weeds. Friday found us heading for Silverthorn where we would camp out at the Luxury Inn and I would be set for the 6:30am start of my first Copper Triangle road ride. Donations benefit the Davis Phinney Foundation http://www.davisphinneyfoundation.org/ and since the ride is on the Bucket List, this year seemed logical.

Most would doubt the intelligence of a guy who would leave his wife, 13 year old granddaughter and a friend all day in Silverthorn to shop the Outlet Malls but hey, you do what you gotta do.

The course ran me backwards on routes I have previously ridden during Ride The Rockies and the Triple Bypass. It also covered the awesome Top of the Rockies Scenic Byway between Leadville and Minturn I had not cycled. The Triangle consist of Freemont,Tennesee and Vail Passes.

The starting third of the course was a cold 36 degrees when we started the ascent up Highway 91 from Copper Resort to Freemont Pass at 11,318 feet above sea level then on to Leadville. I was 45 minutes into the climb before I ever used the big ring and an hour before the Dura Ace brakes were asked to participate. Once I could feel my fingers again in Pbville, thing got fun. Hwy 24 and Tennessee Pass is probably one of the most beautiful rides in Colorado with a 30 mile long stretch of conifer forest relatively unaffected by the pine beetle kill. We passed Ski Cooper and the famed Camp Hale on our way to the ultimate yuppie town of Minturn. After a parade through Vail's round-a-bouts it was on to the final climb of the day on the popular I-70 bike trail connecting Vail to Copper.

If you've traveled Interstate 70 in Colorado, you have seen the trail as it runs between the east and westbound lanes of the interstate after the Vail Pass rest area.

That single file bike path descent back to the starting line was our ceremonial final stage. The cheering crowds lining the corridored route through the resort base made everyone forget the climbs. For just a moment, we thought we were one of the hero finishers of the Tour de France. The event was flawless from my eyes. Well organized, supported throughout and a spectacular route. And the coolest thing on Vail pass..... Someone thought to have Cracker Jacks at the final aid station!

8th Annual Yeti Tribe Meet in Winter Park

WIENER DOG LIMBO TRICKS

Once a year the dedicated Yeti Tribe gets together to show off their latest Yeti builds, get re-acquainted, go for epic rides and m a y b e, have a brew or two. This year was no exception.

The group was 250 strong and met in an uncut stream side field at the edge of Winter Park, Colorado to continue the tradition. The Sarge has attended every official tribe meeting held since 2002. For this event, I loaded up a total of 10 bikes, 3 kin folks, 2 wiener dogs and all the camp gear to test the aging Silverado over Berthod Pass. All 7 Yetis were assembled front line in camp for drooling eyes.

Yeti freaks from all over the US and a couple of foreign countries assembled in the Beaver Village Lodge meadow to celebrate our brand.

Group 8:30 am mounted up for a 30 mile trek through Tipparary Creek and other Grand County singletracks while Taylor and I chose to cruise over to the WP Resort for chair rides up and super sweet downhill bombs on the long travel heavyweights.
"Lets make one more run before the 4:00pm lift deadline". One too many, the wind bounced us around on the lift line and cold wet gusts welcomed us to the summit. By the time we streaked down to treeline, it was pouring down hard on the final descent making the downhill course slick, nasty and cold.

Icky ride back to camp...seems like we were laughing though.

Cudos to Sarah Rawley, Chris Conroy, Steve Hoogendoorn, Big Joe Hendrickson and all of the Yeti crew that made the happening. Death to the coffee delivery boy.

See you next year in Durango.

Sol Vista National Championship Races Just Another Good Time

Just hated to stay home on a summer weekend so we tripped over to Sol Vista Resort for the 2009 National Championship Races.

SV is not the prettiest ski resort in Colorado and it does not have great facilities or many runs. What it did have this weekend is sun, loose powder sand and over 800 competitors in 5 disciplines. Race winners here took home a Stars & Stripes Jersey.

While I definitely just showed up for a good time, it turned out to be a fun course with high-walled berms, powdery turns and a short uphill climb where I could spin the XC legs and take advantage of the pure downhill competitors.

SOL VISTA NATIONAL SUPER D
CHAMPIONSHIP RESULTS
Men 50+
1-Paul Zarubin (Northstar at Tahoe)
0:07:12
2-Robert Bevard (Horns Hill Hucksters / God / Bike Doctor)
0:00:08
3-David Strouse (COMotion Sports / Yeti)
0:01:59
4-Woody Harris (Mojo Wheels)0:02:13
5-Michael Kast
0:02:48

Much needed brownie points were gained when we pulled up at the Winter Park Chateau instead of the Super 8 I had mentioned earlier. The next 7 weekends are spoken for in the name of ME and my cycling. Love You Terri!!

(http://www.winterparkchateau.com/index.html)

FIRECRACKER 97 - NO-WHERE COLORADO

While most mountain bikers were heading for Breckenridge, Durango or Winter Park, I loaded up the Jayco and Silverado and beelined to wonderful Sterling, Colorado in the northeastern part of the state to enjoy the 4th of July celebrations.

Actually, we did not see any fireworks and forgot to put the flags out at the dilapidated Buffalo Hills RV Park off I-76 at the Sterling exit. Use to be a Jellystone Park campground in the '70s with a few signs of Yogi bear still around. Only there for the monthly elder-care trip spying on the 79 year old father-in-law since he never writes and let the phone thing lapse a couple of weeks ago. Long story.

I did managed to salvage the weekend by loading up the Yeti Road Project with dual water bottles and the road jersey with Powerbars and gel packs before proceeding northeast for beautiful Julesburg Reservoir (AKA Jumbo Lake) via State Highway 138 that parallels I-76. My work buddy, Brad Case was camped there with 87 relatives and various clan members so I thought I'd make a surprise appearance and bum water bottle refills.

After 40 miles of flat highway I was greeted with 5 miles of muddy country roads before topping out at the reservoir. I was so impressed with the local town of CROOK I passed through, I thought I'd share some stats with you in case you are looking for that perfect place to retire:

CROOK, COLORADO

Population in July 2007: 126.

Population change since 2000: -0.8%
Males: 65
(52.3%)
Females: 61
(47.7%)
Median resident age:
50.0 years
Colorado median age:
34.3 years
Zip code: 80726

Estimated median household income in 2007: $44,278 (it was $32,500 in 2000)
Estimated median house or condo value in 2007: $78,647 (it was $48,500 in 2000)
Mean prices in 2007: All housing units: $81,511; Detached houses: $82,721;

Mobile homes: $41,750

Since the males outnumber the females, I'd shy away from Crook if I were a widower.

The real thrill of the day was trying to outrun the ominous clouds and pending thunderstorms predicted for the area. I managed to made it back to ex-Jellystone world about 1:00 pm just in time to beat the T-storms.

Oh yeah, another wonderful biking weekend on the road in Colorado..and yip, the ole' man's doing fine.

Although I thought a lap around the lake would make the ride a century, I finished up with a total of 97 miles round trip. Close enough.

Crested Butte Challenge Too Much...

What a change a couple of weeks and 3,000 foot elevation gain can make!

The Shimano XTR Cross Country race at Crested Butte Resort threw me to the ground, stomped me and took away any cockiness Angel Fire and my fastest century ride may have planted. I came with nothing to offer the mountain and was anaerobic 200 yards from the starting line. Two laps with 1,600 feet of gain per lap threw me into the hunch-back survival mode and brought up the question again-- "WHY THE HELL DO YOU DO THIS? "

I'm just glad I'm not paying a cycling coach this year to tell me how bad I prepared for a particular race. I could list the variables but in reality, sometime you feel good and are happy with the outcome and sometimes you just suck and die. This was one of the races I sucked and died.

Finished 10th out of 10 on this one but still ranked 2nd in the series.

What I will always do despite the pain and results, is have fun!!

The best part of the weekend had to be the Sunday morning 8:00am start of the Super Downhill race. COMOtion chums Cris Taylor, Cary Dunn and I shared a chilly and wet chairlift ride to the top of the mountain for a mud slopped downward hurl. We pretended we were going to beat somebody to the finish line. Mission accomplished!
Yeti "Bossman" Chris Conroy was right there beside us on the SD startline proving the adage "practice what you preach" .

Crested Butte trails are like no others in Colorado with really dark organically rich soils that suck up moisture and produce spectacular wildflower carpets . The off-camber singletrack trails are deep and just waiting for you to bang a rim side into them so they can toss you over the handlebars like a rag doll.

With racing done, we enjoyed the beautiful scenery and reminders we we live in ( and never leave) Colorado.

A picnic lunch along the Taylor River on our way to Cottonwood Pass and home ended another memorable MTBing race weekend.

A Ride With 7,500 of my Colorado Cycling Friends

The Elephant Rock Ride is not popular among the cross country race crew but, I still enjoy seeing families, "chubbies", old geezers and ex-high school jocks head out together on the open plains of central Colorado with one common goal FINISH!

The event was the first chance to try out some of the magnificent prodeal sponsor stuff. The Ritchey carbon wheelset contributed greatly to my best time ever with an average speed of 17.2 mph for the wind riddled 100 miler. A top speed of 46.2 mph was recorded 5 1/2 hours into the ride. Total crank time was 5 hours and 50 minutes. The borrowed Topeak Prepstand Max grabs all bikes by the downtube and serves as a stable rack for last minute chain lubes and shifter adjustments. Continental 4000S tires had more air in them when I finished than when I started.

Colorado headquartered and potential 2010 sponsor, Pearl Izumi made the ride extremely comfortable with their new Octane series bib shorts. A hundred miles in the saddle is no time to have your panties in a wad. The PRO series chamois kept me comfy throughout the ride and drew at least a couple of whistles from (bluehaired) ladies as I sprinted by out of the saddle.

E-Rock has definitely grown over the 7 years we've been riding it. The RV parking lot was 20% full when we snuck in a few minutes before the 3pm check in time.

Still the way to beat the massive Sunday morning traffic jams, camping at the Douglas County Fairgrounds lets you relax before the morning frenzy and shower a couple of hundred yard from the finish line.Munching on cedar plank grilled salmon the night before the ride helped provide needed protein and yumness.

Throwing in off weekend century road rides is a good way to keep the drumsticks from going flabby. Another weekend off then we climb the 10,000 foot Crested Butte cross country course. Next road ride-Copper Triangle http://coppertriangle.com/ August 1st.

NOT LIKELY TO HAPPEN AGAIN SOON-ANGEL FIRE -MSC#3 =STXC XC & SD

...not quite the hat trick....

WOW, what a great Memorial Day weekend in New Mexico. We used the 5 day vacation to combine the best of interests in family and racing into a neat package under the conifers and clouds of Angel Fire Resort, New Mexico.

Strouse clan L to R, papa, Tori, Bethany, Shyala, Joshua, Anthony, Chris, Teresa and Kaitlyn.

I've finally figured out the formula to actually end up on the top wrung of the podium... Leave your series competition in Denver and beat one local and a no-show.
Sarge's first Super Downhill (SD) race was a bit more intense than expected. The volcano trash deposited a million years ago was daunting enough as it formed a trail of jagged ridges you were suppose to race over. But the start line mentality was bizarre. These guys ARE SERIOUS about SD and the start line reminded me of scenes from Braveheart as they raced on foot from the start line to the bikes. Part of the ritual included a starting position of one knee and one elbow on the ground, facing the opposite direction of the waiting overweight steeds 50 yards away.

Grandson Anthony and I were way too laid back for the super downhill crowd so I was happy to finish 20th out of 22 starters.

Scoring a 2nd place victory in the 40+ Short Track Cross Country race behind fellow teammate Carry Dunn was another highlight of the weekend. And I HATE Short Track!! COMotion dominated the Cat 2 30-40 yr. old class and the weekend bringing home a near perfect 972 & 986 score extending the lead on the way to the 7th championship year.

Crested Butte- here we come!